I'll Take That Bet
by Kiddo
Summary: Two crewmembers make a bet
1. Chapter 1

I'll Take That Bet

Kapitel 1

By Kiddo

Disclaimer:

I have no rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV," and I am not making any money with this story. This story is a translation of my German fanfiction, "Wetten dass..." And was a Christmas Present for Samusa.

A big "Thank You" goes to my wonderfull beta-reader Jackie.

* * *

That afternoon, the seaQuest had docked at the harbor to take food and other supplies on board. Now it was evening, and the crew had a brief shore leave, as the next day they would be shipping out again. 

Several of the male members of the senior crew and Lucas were sitting in a pub near the harbor. Bridger had insisted on going to a pub where the majority of the drinks served were non-alcoholic. One reason he had done this was because Lucas was with them; after all, the boy was just 16. Another reason was because he wasn't keen on having to deal with a hungover bridge crew tomorrow.

Dr. Westphalen, Lt. Commander Hitchcock, and Commander Ford had decided to go to the theatre instead.

Lucas Wolenczak, the only teenager on board the top UEO submarine, was observing the goings-on around him closely, sneaking a look at his watch from time to time.

The strange behavior of his charge didn't escape Captain Bridger's attention, but he decided not to say anything. If Lucas's thoughts were on one of his experiments, then it was always best not to disturb him. Usually, if left alone, the boy would end up talking about it without prompting.

Ten minutes later, the computer genius let out a groan and looked at the others around the table. "I can think about it all I want, but I just don't get it," he said, shaking his head.

Benjamin Krieg smiled from ear to ear. "Mark this date in your calendar - our genius admits that for once he doesn't get it!"

The teen stuck his tongue out at the supply officer. "Really funny, Ben, really funny."

Nathan turned to Lucas. "What do you exactly mean?" He had the feeling that he would now hear about what had been going on in the boy's head.

Lucas looked around at them all. "You know, I've been watching for the last 45 minutes. This is also something I noticed in school." He paused briefly. "Why are women always going to the bathroom in packs?"

Benjamin Krieg, Miguel Ortiz, and Tim O'Neill burst out laughing. Chief Crocker and Captain Bridger, on the other hand, managed to hold it back. The teenager had just named one of the mysteries of the female species.

"Hey, I'm serious!" Lucas explained, apparently quite annoyed. "In the last 45 minutes, the ladies room had been used 15 times, and of those times, only three women went in there alone. The other 12 times, two women went together. The women who went in alone came out again quickly, but the ones who went in together took ages. What is taking them so long? What are they doing, besides going to the bathroom and maybe touching up their make-up? Are they making nasty remarks about the guys they came here with?"

The captain was grinning. "That's an intersting theory you have there. At least it's one possible explanation, but I guess we will never really know. Unless, that is, we ask."

The blond boy shook his head. "I already asked one of my former classmates, but I didn't get a real answer. She only said it wasn't so boring if they went together. But hey, that can't be normal. After all, we men don't do it. If I asked Ben to come to the men's room with me right now, you all would look at me funny."

Krieg acted like he was absolutely horrified. "Don't you dare!"

Tim O'Neill smiled. "Maybe there's more to this make-up theory than you originally thought. Say a woman needs... what, 2 minutes to touch up her lipstick? And when they go in together that makes it 4 minutes."

Benjamin shook his head emphatically. "No way! Touching up lipstick doesn't work at all. No woman wants to wear the same color as her friend." The lieutenant got a thoughtful expression on his face. "I think that going to the restroom together is something that comes from the times of the Neanderthal. In those times, one of them would always stand guard to watch for any danger while the other one would squat behind a bush and do her business. And somehow, this behavior still applies."

Ortiz raised one eyebrow. "Hear! Hear! So says the woman expert."

It seemed that Krieg hadn't heared the ironic tone in Miguel's voice and now looked wisely at the teenager. "Indeed. Listen closely to me, Lucas, you can learn a lot about women from me."

Their youngest crew member looked skeptically at Ben. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, we all know that I have a way with women. After all, I was married to one of the prettiest women in the UEO," said Krieg knowledgably.

"**'Was'** being the operative word," said Lucas quickly.

Miguel smiled; he had been thinking the same exact thing, but the teenager had spoken faster.

Krieg put his hand to his heart dramatically. "Oh, that hurt! But at least I know more about this than you do. After all, your first girlfriend was your computer."

"Hey, I may be only 16, but that doesn't mean I don't know anything about women."

"Yeah, sure sonny!" It sounded like Ben didn't believe a single word.

The others followed the discussion with interest. It was almost like a tennis match. But Nathan stopped that mental comparison; as self-confident as Lucas appeared on the outside, he was just as unsure on the inside.

Lucas was silent for a moment. "Are you challenging me? If so, you've succeeded brilliantly." A smile was playing around his lips.

Now it was Ben's turn to think about this. Of course it was tempting to show the teenager that his knowledge had limits. After all, there was almost no subject that the teenager didn't excel at because of his intelligence. But was it fair to agree to a bet? After all, he was older than Lucas and therefore had more practical experience with women. "Okay... I suggest an easy three-part bet."

"And that would be?" asked the computer genius doubtfully.

"We think of three different topics that have something to do with women and make a bet about each one."

Captain Bridger didn't like the sound of this, but he knew that he couldn't keep them from doing it. If these two had gotten an idea in their heads, then they would go through with it. He also didn't have the heart to forbid Lucas to do it. By doing that, he would make the teenager look like a small child in front of the others, to say nothing of the fact that the genius would be very angry with him. "I don't think that a three-part bet is such a good idea. A four-part bet is better. That way, you have a chance to tie."

"Okay, doesn't matter to me. What about it Lucas? Come on, let's shake on it." Ben stretched his hand toward the teenager.

The blond boy thought about it for a moment. "What are we betting for?"

"$200 and the loser has be the winner's slave for two weeks. You know, doing things like washing laundry, running errands, bringing dessert or giving up water rations... that kind of thing."

Bridger took a deep breath. $200 wasn't chicken-feed, especially for somebody who earned as little as Lucas. "Lieutenant, I don't think that this is fair. Your salary is much more."

Krieg gave in; he also realized that he had picked too high an amount of money. "Okay, how about we change that to $20, but the rest stays the same. What do you say, Lucas, do we have a deal?"

The computer genius hesitated for a moment, but he couldn't back down. After all, he'd had to go and open his big mouth! He held his hand out and shook Ben's. "I'll take that bet."

The supply and moral officer smiled, certain of his impending victory. Oh, it would be so nice having a personal butler.

Miguel Ortiz thought that it was finally time to lighten things up, even if it would cost him. He looked at O'Neill, who was sitting diagonally from him. "Hey Tim, I need to go to the restroom. Are you coming too?"

It didn't take long before the attention of everyone in the pub was drawn to the table with five adults and one teenager that just couldn't stop laughing.

* * *

To Be Continued… 

Written October 2004, Translated Winter 2005/2006


	2. Chapter 2

I'll Take That Bet

Kapitel 2

By Kiddo

Disclaimer:

I have no rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV," and I am not making any money with this story.

A big "Thank You" goes to my wonderfull beta-reader Jackie and everybody who reviewed.

* * *

The next morning, Benjamin Krieg and Lucas Wolenczak were standing in a corridor not far from Katie Hitchcock's cabin. The supply officer's ex-wife was the main subject of their first bet.

Krieg smiled. "I tell you, she is totally different from what you think. You won't be able to guess what she'll say."

The teenager rolled his eyes in annoyance. "You already said that a thousand times."

Ben looked at the computer genius challengingly. "So, what do you say?" The first bet was about asking Katie two things that pissed her off about Benjamin. Lucas had to name one of these things before asking her. If the teen's answer was right, then he would get the point. But, if what he guessed was wrong, the point would go to Krieg.

The blond teenager thought about it for a moment. "She didn't like... that you never put the toilet seat down."

Krieg decided to say nothing. The boy had hit the nail on the head. That really was something he and his ex-wife had argued about. But after all, there had been lots of other things that they had argued about as well. So what were the chances that Katie would pick that one?

About five minutes later, the time had come. The door to Lt. Commander Hitchcock's cabin opened, and the woman came out, headed directly for the corridor where the rivals were waiting. When the dark-haired woman spotted the two, she immediately got a worried feeling.

The moral officer nudged Lucas gently in the side. "Leave the talking to me." Then he smiled widely at Hitchcock. "It's perfect that you just happen to be walking by at this moment! I just wanted to teach Junior here some of the big secrets of human relationships..."

The computer genius twisted his face. At the rate Ben was going, this would never work out. And if Hitchcock found out later that Krieg had lied to her and that this had been about a bet, then there would be hell to pay. But telling her the truth from the beginning would be easier and a lot safer. Therefore, Lucas cut Ben off. "The best thing you can do right now is forget everything that Ben just said. To tell you the truth, we have a bet going."

Krieg shut his eyes for a moment; the teenager had messed everything up! You couldn't be that direct. He was sure that Katie would freak at any second.

Hitchcock wrinkled her forehead. "What kind of bet?"

"Oh, Ben thinks that he is the absolute woman expert and that I am totally illiterate when it comes to women, and somehow, a bet arose," explained the young genius.

Katie smiled. "I see. So, how can I help you?"

The supply officer couldn't understand it. His ex-wife was totally calm! He had expected almost anything, but this? "You only have to tell us two things that you found annoying about me when we were married. Lucas had to make a guess about it beforehand, and if he is right, he gets a point. If he's wrong, I get the point."

"Okay." The woman thought about it for a moment. "Hmmmm... I didn't like your beard stubble in the sink." Krieg looked pleased; this was going just like he had expected. "Oh, but something that was really annoying was that you never put the toilet seat down."

The blond teenager began to beam at these words. He felt like jumping in the air. Ben, on the other hand, did not look amused.

Lt. Commander Hitchcock looked from one to the other. "Everything okay?"

Lucas nodded happily. "Of course, you just helped me win my first point." He grabbed the speechless lieutenant by the uniform sleeve and pulled him along behind him. As they were about to round the corner, he suddenly remembered his good manners and turned back again. "Thanks a lot for the help, that was all we needed for the moment."

* * *

A short time later, Krieg and Wolenczak were at their bet again. This time, both of them had to pick one book that women liked to read. Benjamin had picked "Gone With The Wind," and Lucas put all his hope on "The Little Prince." They had decided to ask three people about this. They stopped the first woman that they met, and she became their first victim.

"A few seconds of your time, Ensign Moon?" Ben gave her his biggest smile. "We have a little bet going, and we need your female opinion. Which book do you prefer, "Gone With The Wind" or "The little Prince?"" It was clearly audible in his voice what he wanted to hear.

Ensign Andrea Moon looked thoughtfully at them for a moment. "Sorry, but I've never heard of "Gone With The Wind." But, "The Little Prince" is a great book." Moon looked at her watch. "I really need to go, otherwise I'll be late." And with that, she disappeared around the next corner.

Lucas looked around with satisfaction. He liked the way this bet was going.

"Don't give me that face, she was just too young to know my book. We will now go to Dr. Westphalen. She is older and certainly has better taste."

* * *

To Be Continued…

Written October 2004, Tranlated Winter 2005/2006


	3. Chapter 3

I'll Take That Bet

Kapitel 3

By Kiddo

Disclaimer:

I have no rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV," and I am not making any money with this story.

A big "Thank You" goes to my wonderfull beta-reader Jackie and everybody who gave a review.

* * *

A short time later, the two rivals entered the science section of the seaQuest. Lucas looked around, but when he spotted the doctor, Krieg suddenly pulled him in the opposite direction. "Uh, Ben, I don't want to disturb you, but you're going in the wrong direction."

The moral officer shook his head. "In a minute, I just spotted Dr. Webber. We'll ask her too." Dr. Webber was one of the oldest people on the seaQuest, and he hoped to be successful with her.

Krieg put on his friendliest smile. "Good to see you, Dr. Webber. Lucas and I have had a little disagreement over two books. Could you please tell us which book you like better?"

The scientist nodded. "Which two books are you talking about?"

""Gone With The Wind"and "The Little Prince.""

Dr. Webber's eyes began to shine. "Oh "Gone With The Wind" is one of my favorite books, and I absolutely love the movie. I don't really like "The Little Prince." That book just doesn't speak to me."

Ben was grinning. "Thanks a lot. You have been a great help."

"My pleasure."

A beaming Lieutenant Krieg and the teenager now went over to Dr. Westphalen. When the doctor heard the two approach, she wasn't sure if she should be happy about their visit or if she should be worried.

Lucas put his hands in his jeans pockets. "Did the captain tell you about our bet?"

Kristin nodded. "Indeed he did. Am I right in thinking that you want to ask me about something because of it?" She didn't say that she thought the whole thing was a terrible idea.

Benjamin nodded. "Yes. Which book do you like more, "Gone With TheWind" or "The Little Prince?""

Westphalen wrinkeled her forehead. "Oh, I think "Gone With The Wind" is too maudlin for my taste. Most people have only read it because of the movie anyway. But "The Little Prince" is wonderful. I read it to Cynthia when she was a child, although I wouldn't call it a classic children's book."

The blond teenager was grinning from ear to ear. This point went to him. Now the score was 2 to 0.

Krieg's face drooped. 2 to 0. That meant that he could only tie if he won the next two bets. And a tie was as good as a defeat for him. He couldn't believe that a 16-year old virgin was wiping the floor with him!

But, nevertheless, the moral officer wouldn't admit defeat in the case of Dr. Westphalen. He and Lucas had made another bet that was similar to the book bet, but this time it was about movies. "We also have another question that you might be able to help us with. Which movie is more likely to make you cry, "Titanic" or "My Girl?""

The red-haired woman had to think hard for a moment. "That's not so easy. I saw "Titanic" in the cinema and thought the movie was just wonderful. It was my favorite movie at the time. But when I watched it on video, I didn't like the movie as much. I couldn't understand why I had loved the movie so much. I think it only looked good on a big screen. A TV screen just didn't capture it. Now "My Girl," on the other hand, was never one of my favorite movies, but nevertheless, there is this one scene that I always cried at. So if I really think about your question, I have to say "My Girl.""

The computer genius gave Kristen a brief joyful hug. "Dr. Westphalen, you are fantastic!"

* * *

A while later, Lt. Krieg and Lucas Wolenczak met Lt. Commander Hitchcock in one of the seaQuest's many corridors. Benjamin had timed it so that they would "just happen" to meet her, because he knew exactly what her favorite movie was. "What a surprise, glad to run into you! We just have one more little question for you." Krieg had put on his most charming smile.

Hitchcock rolled her eyes in annoyance. "What do you want?"

"You only have to tell us which movie makes you cry more, "My Girl" or "Titanic?"" asked the moral officer.

Katie looked irritated for a moment. ""Titanic," of course, but you already knew that." She shook her head in disbelief and walked away.

Lucas folded his arms over his chest and fixed the older man with an accusatory stare. "You knew that she would take this corridor now, that's why you dragged me here."

Benjamin tried his best to look innocent. "I don't know what you mean. What kind of husband would I be if I didn't know my ex-wife's favorite movie? And that she just happened to pick this corridor to go down... I had nothing to do with that."

The blonde computer genius shrugged and shook his head; it was clear that he didn't believe a word. "Yeah, sure Ben." But he decided to say nothing else about it. After all, they hadn't made any special rules about things like that. He also suspected that Krieg didn't know his ex-wife's favourite book. Otherwise, he would have tried to include her in that bet too.

* * *

When they got to the next corridor over, they met another female member of the crew. It was the youngest nurse from medbay. She also happened to be one of those unfortunate women with whom Krieg had tried his luck at flirting; needless to say, he had been met with a rebuff from her. Ben just wanted to pass her by when Lucas stopped and started talking. "Hi, we just have a quick question for you. Could you spare a minute for us?"

Liz Cline nodded. "Is it about your bet?"

Both nodded. "How did you hear about that?" asked Krieg.

"Word gets around fast on a submarine like the seaQuest. I think nearly everybody knows about it. After all, you haven't exactly been discreet," said Liz. "So, what do you want to know?"

"Which movie makes you cry more, "Titanic" or "My Girl?"" Benjamin looked hopefully at the nurse.

"Is "Titanic" the movie with the young Leonardo DiCaprio?"

Kreig nodded. "Yes."

Liz Cline wrinkled her nose. "I can't stand that guy. I don't know what the woman saw in him. But "My Girl" gets me every time. I just need to see the scene where Vada steps up to Thomas J.'s coffin, and I'm in tears."

Lucas grinned wickedly, gloating since he had just won the whole bet. "Thank you, you just helped me to a point."

The nurse looked from one to the other; it was really interesting trying to interpret their expressions. "What's the result of the bet?"

"3 to 0 for me," said the teenager.

"Pure beginner's luck..." was the only thing that Krieg could say. He didn't like it at all that he was exposed in such a way.

Liz laughed. "Uh oh, beaten into the ground by a teenager. Yeah, Lucas really is a big exception to the rule. Normally, a guy either looks good or has a brain, but our junior here has both en masse." She ruffled the teenager's hair briefly. "Oh boy, if I just was a few years younger..."

Laughing, Liz headed away and turned the corner, leaving behind an angry looking supply officer and a severely blushing computer genius.

* * *

To Be Continued…

Written October 2004, Tranlated Winter 2005/2006


	4. Chapter 4

I'll Take That Bet

Kapitel 4

By Kiddo

Disclaimer:

I have no rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV," and I am not making any money with this story.

A big "Thank You" goes to my wonderfull beta-reader Jackie and everybody who reviewed.

* * *

The next morning before breakfast, Benjamin and Lucas were hanging around the big restrooms. Now they were on their fourth, and last, bet. For this, they had Lucas's computer, a piece of paper, a pen, and a couple of stop watches in front of them.

This bet was a question of who needed longer in the bathroom, men or women. For this, they planned to time 10 male and 10 female crew members. After that, they would add the times up and see who needed longer.

Lt. Krieg had guessed that the women needed more time in the restroom, and the teenager had decided on the men.

The blond boy looked questioningly at Benjamin. "Do you really want to do this? We could just end this now. After all, the bet is already finished."

The moral officer shook his head. "No, a bet is bet. And besides, I'm 100 sure that I'll get the point this time."

"Really?" asked the teen as he looked at one of the watches when somebody left the bathroom. Then he typed the result in his computer.

Krieg, on the other hand, wrote the result down. He wanted to make sure that Lucas couldn't manipulate it with his computer. "Of course. There's no doubt about it."

The young genius raised his eyebrows. "Have you added the times of the people who have already gone?"

Ben shook his head. "No, why?"

"Oh I just ask because the men have already needed 7 minutes longer than the women."

The lieutenant shrugged his shoulders. "Oh, that doesn't mean anything."

* * *

45 minutes later, the bet was over. Benjamin and Lucas were eating breakfast with O'Neill, Ortiz, Dr. Westphalen, and Captain Bridger at a table in the Mess Hall.

The teenager was just emptying his glass of orange juice. He looked at Krieg and pointed to his glass. "Would you please be so kind?"

The moral officer grumbled something unintelligible, stood up, and walked away, taking the glass with him. The other crew members who were sitting around the table followed the exchange with interest and a bit of surprise.

After a short time, Ben came back and put the now full glass in front of the computer genius. "Thanks."

Suddenly, Miguel's eyes got big. "Hey, does this mean..."

Krieg looked morosely around at their little group. "I tell you, this is pure beginner's luck. And besides, I still think he bribed every woman on board."

Lucas rolled his eyes. Ben just couldn't stand losing.

Ortiz grinned. "What exactly was the result?"

"4 to 0 in my favor," the teenager said dryly before biting into his roll.

O'Neill, Bridger, and Westphalen were able to keep themselves from laughing. Miguel, however, snorted in amusement. The expression on Krieg's face was priceless. "Oh Ben, maybe you should take private lessons from Lucas."

This comment earned him a very angry look from Krieg.

Bridger looked at the boy for a moment. He knew that the boy was a keen observer, but he had never expected that he would win the bet by such a big margin. After all, it was a fact that Benjamin was older and therefore had more experience with women. "How could you know all this?"

"When I was little, I always saw my mother more than my father. All my babysitters and nannies were also female. You learn a lot that way," said Lucas.

"It was very similar later when I went to school. You know, when you're always the smallest and you get the best grades, the other boys don't really find you cool. In fact, it's just the opposite." He sounded sad. "I don't know why but with the girls it was the other way around; they always cared about me in a special way. Maybe I awoke their maternal instincts, or something like that." The teenager shrugged his shoulders. "When I first got to Stanford, I had a room in one of the boy's dorms." He paused briefly; should he really tell them? "Well, after a few weeks, one of the football players decided to take out all his anger by using me as his punching bag. After that incident, the dean thought it was too dangerous to let me stay there, and he moved me into the girl's dorm. I can tell you, you sometimes pick up more information there than you'd like to."

The others nodded thoughtfully. It was hard hearing that Lucas had had such problems at school. But unfortunately, his was not an isolated case. You heard such stories all too often. Any time someone was the slightest bit different, the others would give him a hard time.

In the end, the teen had been really lucky to end up living in the girl's dorm. But nevertheless, it wasn't easy to hear that Lucas had had those problems in college.

O'Neill tried to lighten the mood; he knew for certain that what Lucas had just said wouldn't be forgotten. Bridger would almost definitely talk about this with the teenager, wanting to know exactly what had happened. And if he didn't do it, Dr. Westphalen would. Somehow, those two had made it to their personal responsibility to watch out for their computer genius. "So that's how you know so much about the female psyche?"

The blond boy nodded. "Of course. I always try to learn something, no matter what the situation, even if it is only: 'Never do that again.'" He stopped talking and took a sip of his orange juice. "During the weekends, the girls sometimes had movie nights, and since they all thought of me like some kind of younger brother, they always invited me. Sometimes I went since I was too young to leave the dorm by myself in the evening and never visited my parents during the weekends. It was interesting to see which movies they pick and how they would react to them. One time we watched "My Girl," and I tell you, I never saw so many girls cry at the same time before. Of course it's a sad movie, but to cry because of it in public? I couldn't do that because of a movie. I think that's also one of the differences between the sexes; women usually have no problems crying in public, but men find it embarassing and try to avoid it. Women are kind of different like that." His forehead creased as he thought. "Sometimes I think that takes more strength, to admit when you need help or show that you are sad."

Dr. Westphalen nodded. She liked that the teenager thought about such things. A lot of people his age wouldn't do that. But Lucas was, and would always be, something special.

Benjamin Krieg was still looking grimly at his roll. He didn't like it one bit that he had lost this bet by so much. The others would probably hold it against him and make fun of him forever. "Why did you never tell us that you had been in a girl's dorm?" Krieg asked in an accusatory tone.

The young genius rolled his eyes. "Because nobody ever asked me about it."

The moral officer was still grumpy. "You still could have warned me."

Miguel shook his head in disbelief. "Pull yourself together and start being a fair loser. You really could acknowledge that Lucas won."

This comment earned Ortiz another dark look from Krieg.

Bridger decided that it was time to change the subject. "By the way, in five days we're having some visitors. A few scientists want to work on an experiment on the seaQuest."

Kristin nodded in agreement. She, of course, had already been informed about this. The doctor's glance now fell on the blond teenager. "Could you please for once tidy up your room and clean off the dust? I don't really think that any of our guests will lose their way and end up there, but better safe than sorry."

The computer genius nodded. "Yeah, no problem!"

He got a lot of shocked glances in response. They were all aware of the fact that Lucas's cabin was a land of chaos, and every criticism about it went by unheard. After all, the teen claimed that the chaos was an expression of his personality and life's philosophy. Now it was 'no problem' to tidy up?

Lucas grinned when he saw the other's faces. "Of course, I don't like tidying up." Then he smiled roguishly and looked at the supply officer. "But this time, I'll have a very hard-working assistant, isn't that right, Ben?" The teen planned on really making the best use of his prize.

Krieg swallowed heavily, his eyes wide and horrified. He already hated wiping down the dust in his own cabin, and now he'd have to do Lucas's? A cabin that had never seen a duster in the course of it's entire existence? "I swear to you, I will never make a bet with you again! Ever!"

For all the others, this was the signal to break out into peals of laughter.

The End

Written October 2004, Tranlated Winter 2005/2006

* * *

I don't know when I will be ably to translate one of my other stories. A part of my laptop-computer is broken and therforeit wassend out for repair. And this can take quite some time :-( . And if I get it back I also can't immidiantly start to work on a translation because i already have a pig pile of things that i have to do with the help of my laptop first. 


End file.
